Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 13 Mar 2014

Claims that missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 flew on for four hours after losing contact with air traffic control have been dismissed. The claim, reported in the Wall Street Journal, is said to be based on data transmitted by the plane's Rolls-Royce engines. Meanwhile, reports that a satellite had spotted wreckage in the sea have also been rejected.

Oscar Pistorius wept and was sick in court again today when his trial was shown graphic pictures of the corpse of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, who he shot dead at his home in Pretoria last year. There were gasps in court as the images of her and the crime scene were shown as police officer Schoombie van Rensburg gave evidence.

A children’s heart surgery unit at Leeds General Infirmary has been pronounced safe by a year-long review launched after data suggested a higher-than-average death rate. However the review also found that some families had received poor care. The unit was closed for two weeks last March in response to the data.

Health service unions are threatening legal action after the Government announced below inflation pay rises for many NHS staff. A 1% basic pay rise has been approved by ministers, however it will not be applied to more than 600,000 workers entitled to "progression-in-job" increases, worth around 3%, because they have developed new skills.

5. WOMAN JAILED FOR MICROWAVING CAT

A woman who killed her pet cat by microwaving it because she thought it had attacked her goldfish has been jailed for 14 weeks. Laura Cunliffe, 23, from Hoyland, near Barnsley put the kitten in the microwave for around a minute and it later died of its injuries. The judge called it an "act of utterly horrendous cruelty".

Barack Obama has called for a last-minute change of mind from Russia which is backing a planned referendum in Crimea on secession from Ukraine, scheduled for Sunday. Meeting Ukraine’s interim PM, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, at the White House yesterday, Obama said the US would not recognise the ballot.

A new supermarket price war is looming after Morrisons vowed to slash prices to compete with discount chains after reporting a £176m loss last year. It blamed competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl for the results and vowed to take them on. Shares in Britain's major supermarkets tumbled after the announcement.

8. SEVEN DIE IN NYC BUILDING COLLAPSE

Seven people have been killed and several are still missing after a gas explosion brought down two buildings in New York City. A resident in a nearby building in the East Harlem district of the city had reported smelling gas shortly before the explosion. Rail services to Grand Central Terminal were suspended for a time but have since resumed.

9. TIGER TRIPLETS BORN AT LONDON ZOO

Hidden cameras at London Zoo have captured the birth of three Sumatran tiger cubs. Five-year-old tigress Melati gave birth on 3 February but the zoo has only now released the footage. The sex of the cubs is still not known. One has been named Trouble. There are only around 300 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

The European premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury's hit US play We Are Proud to Present has opened at the Bush Theatre, London. Tensions mount as a group of actors struggle to devise a theatre piece about genocide in Namibia. "Takes your breath away," says Metro. Until 12 April.